Apparatus, system, and method for writing magnetically encoded data to discrete lands

A signal bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform an operation to write magnetically encoded data, the operation comprising:

• positioning a write head relative to a first land such that a first edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a first land edge of the first land, the first land disposed radially upon a disk and bounded by an interior radial groove and an exterior radial groove, and wherein the write head has a radial width greater than the sum of a radial width of the first land and radial widths of the interior and exterior grooves;
• and
• writing the magnetically encoded data to the first land;
• positioning the write head relative to a second land adjacent to a groove bounding the first land such that the first edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a second land edge of the second land and the write head is not positioned over a portion of the first land.

A system to write magnetically encoded data, the system comprising:

• a disk comprising a plurality of lands disposed radially on the disk, each land bounded by an interior radial groove and an exterior radial groove and wherein each land has a substantially equivalent radial width and each groove has a substantially equivalent radial width;
• a write head configured to write the magnetically encoded data to a first land, and wherein the write head has a radial width in the range of the sum of the radial width of the first land and the radial widths of adjacent interior and exterior grooves to the sum of three times the radial width of the first land and the radial widths of the adjacent interior and exterior grooves multiplied by two;
• and
• a servo module configured to position the write head relative to the first land such that a first land edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a first edge of the first land and position the write head relative to a second land adjacent to a groove bounding the first land such that the first edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a second land edge of the second land and the write head is not positioned over a portion of the first land.

A method for writing magnetically encoded data, the method comprising:

• grouping lands of a plurality of lands as lands groups, wherein each land is disposed radially on a disk and bounded by an interior radial groove and an exterior radial groove, each lands group is sequentially written together, and wherein a first lands group is separated from a second lands group by a boundary with a radial width at least equivalent to the radial width of the write head minus the width of the last land, the boundary selected from a land and a groove;
• sequentially positioning a write head relative to each land of the first group of lands beginning with an outermost land such that a first edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a first land edge of each land, and wherein the write head has a radial width greater than the sum of a radial width of the first land and radial widths of the interior and exterior grooves;
• sequentially writing the magnetically encoded data to each land of the lands group and at least a portion of an adjacent land;
• positioning the write head relative to a boundary land such that the first edge of the write head is positioned substantially over a first land edge of the boundary land and the write head is not positioned over an adjacent land;
• and
• writing the magnetically encoded data to the boundary land.